Blackville Saint Andrews United Church
152 Main Street E9B 1P3 Blackville, NB, Canada

Upcoming Services: Dec 6th - Second Sunday of Advent: Peace Dec 13th - White gift Sunday Bring your donations for the food bank, but we are being asked this year not to wrap them.... Dec 20th - Fourth Sunday of Advent: Love Dec 21st (Monday) - Longest Night Service will be held at 7pm in the Sanctuary. This will be a warm and contemplative service about feeling God’s love as we cope with grief, Covid disappointment, loneliness, and other hardships. An uplifting service during difficult times. Dec 24th (Thursday) Christmas Eve service will be held at 6pm in the Hall

White Gift Sunday giving made easy. I just picked up my donation for White Gift for this Sunday at Foodland. Simple and affordable. Remember to bring them (or something of your choosing) on Sunday to be placed under the tree when instructed.

We are working on how to get worship recorded and edited for folks at home to watch! Check out the scriptures and sermon from this last Sunday!

This coming Sunday we will be exploring the Joy of season. What brings you joy? What is currently making you joyful? Today let's fill up facebook with things that bring us joy! I am going to start. I'm going to share a joke. Feel free to comment with your own jokes! Let's get us all laughing with joy! ------------- There’s a Christian who’s hiking in the woods one day when he comes upon an angry bear. The bear stood up on its hind legs and growled ferociously, clearly ...preparing to charge. In panic, the Christian started to run, but the bear followed close on his heels. Finally the hiker came to a cliff. So he dropped to his knees and asked God to please make this bear a good Christian bear. To the hiker’s amazement, the bear suddenly stopped growling, fell to his knees and folded his paws together in prayer! "Thank you, Lord!" exclaimed the Christian. "Thank you, Lord!" exclaimed the bear, "for this meal I'm about to receive!"

For anyone who doesn't have access to the bulletin, here are the announcements from this past Sunday: Prayers of the People: Is there somebody or something you’d like the congregation to pray for during worship? Is there somebody or something you’d like Pastor Holly to keep in her personal prayers? Contact Pastor Holly through email, phone, a note before church, or come in during office hours. I am here Tuesday 2-4 and Thursday 10-12, and am available before 4pm for other ...scheduled meetings. Dec 8th - Unified Board meeting at 7pm in sanctuary, Tuesday night (TONIGHT) Dec 13th - White gift Sunday next week Bring your donations for the food bank, but we are being asked this year not to wrap them. We have been given permission to buy premade bags for the FoodBank from FoodLand, and to bring them to worship. $8/bag. Bring your donation into the sanctuary with you next week so we can dedicate them. Dec 21st - Longest Night Service will be held at 7pm in the Sanctuary. This will be a warm and contemplative service about feeling God’s love as we cope with grief, Covid disappointment, loneliness, and other hardships. An uplifting service during difficult times. Dec 24th Christmas Eve service will be held at 6pm in the Hall Book Study! Chronicles 175: The Ministers and Events that have Shaped St. Andrews (A History of St. Andrew’s United Church Blackville, N.B. 1840-2015). Monday nights, 7-8pm downstairs in the church (to be adjusted, if necessary). It will run 6 weeks, from Jan 11th- Feb 15th. Come join in fellowship and conversation as we learn together about this wonderful church!

As you go through your Sunday morning routine, getting ready for church, or perhaps choosing to stay home, may you be ever-reminded of the Peace Christ came to earth to give us. Just as a shepherd, God watches over all of us, making sure ALL are safe. Christ loves each and every one of us as if we were the only the person on earth.

Don't forget! Congregational meeting at the end of Worship on Sunday!

Something exciting is brewing at Saint Andrews United Church! I wonder what it is...

Don't forget! Tonight there is a Unified Board meeting at 7pm, downstairs in the Hall. My next Office Hours are Thursday 10-12.... There will be a congregational meeting after church this Sunday, Oct 18th. The Nominating Committee will be presenting the names for the Lay Support Team and the Vice Chair for the Unified Board for congregational approval.

Office Hours today, 2-4pm. I've got my mask ready to see you! Thanksgiving is one of my favourite holidays. It is full of warmth and love, and it is not attached to the stress of gift-giving. It can also be a painful holiday if there is rift within your family, or if some family members are missing. Come in during Office Hours today and tell me about the good and the bad. I am here to support you on that journey

Happy Thanksgiving Sunday!

Tonight at midnight, it will become mandatory for masks to be worn at all times in public spaces. This will come as a relief to some, and be a frustration to others. Let me say I hear you and I understand both sides. This will be a tough adjustment in church, and might be somewhat uncomfortable. We can take solace, however, in the fact that we are all in this together. Other than children and those with medical issues that give them exemption, we are all experiencing the same thing. On the bright side, if we are wearing masks, we can sit 3ft apart instead of 6ft. Tonight I will pray for everyone as we all adjust to this ever-changing "new normal." Peace and Blessings <3

It's a blustery day out there! If you feel like your life is blowing away from you, or if you just want a friend to chat to - come in for a visit! Office hours today from 10-12!

From the moderator of the United Church. I was going to post something similar, but he said it so well!

Exciting news! Internet here, internet there, internet everywhere! And phone! Blackville Saint Andrew's United Church now has an office phone which you can call at any time. If I am not at the church to pick up the phone, leave a message and I will get back to you. The number is 1-506-843-2211. That number will appear in the phone book when a new book is printed. For now, it can be found under "Information" on this page, or in the bulletin starting this Sunday. We also have ...internet! It works in my office, so I will be able to answer all of your emails while at the church. The new church email for the minister is [email protected] . Feel free to reach out any time, in whatever way you are comfortable! Finally, what I think is the most exciting news is that the internet works in the sanctuary! It is not only the internet of the minister, but of the congregation! It is YOUR internet! Over time you can let me know if there are ways you would like me to integrate short videos into worship, or if there are other ways you would like internet to be used. There is only one rule - don't be surfing Facebook during the sermon! Heading home here soon. Next office hours are Thursday, 10-2pm. Maybe I'll see you then!

Were you busy today during regular office hours and are sad because you had wanted to come in? Fear not! I will be staying later today! The internet technician is still here, so as long as you see a Bell Aliant truck outside, you can be assured I am inside! Come in and introduce yourself! I have decorated my door in preparation

If you have an pictures you would like included in a Thanksgiving PowerPoint, send them in messenger to this page, or send them by email to [email protected]

Office hours today from 2-4! Feel free to drop by! Also, we're having our first visit today from a technician to get internet installed in the church. It's an exciting day!

Tomorrow is the day of our Agape Service! Don't forget to bring something to drink and a snack to eat! (There will be time to eat more than a bite, but not enough time to eat an entire meal.) Another name for an Agape service is "Love Feast," so please feel free to bring whatever food and drink you might like to eat! I think I might bring hummus and crackers, for myself. It does not have to be bread and juice if you don't want it to be, but it certainly can be if that is what you like. Looking forward to seeing you in worship! Pastor Holly

As a student minister, every week I must do a lot of reading. As part of that this week, I have come across a fantastic quote from one of the official United Church documents on Learning Covenant. "We do not learn from experience; we learn by reflecting on experience" Part of an Agape Service, as laid out in Celebrating God's Presence, is the inclusion of testimonies. "Testimonies may include personal witness to God's grace and accounts of what God has been doing in the live...s of individuals, the community, and in the world." On Sunday I made an offer to the congregation to allow you to give such testimony, if you would like. I still haven't had any "takers," so if you secretly have something you want to share, now is your chance! If not however, my backup plan is for you to be treated to a portion of the story of my Call. You will get to hear a little bit about how my relationship with God works. "We do not learn from experience; we learn by reflecting on experience." I have learned different spiritual and life lessons by reflecting on the experiences I've had. If you do not want to share your experiences during Sunday worship, that is fine - but I invite you to spend some time in reflection before Sunday morning, on some of the experiences you've had. What have you learned about yourself? About your relationship with God? About who God is calling you to be? This Sunday will be all about Celebrating God's presence in our lives. I invite you to reflect on where God is working in your life that warrants celebration.